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Show HOW AMERICANS ARE PAYING THE GERMAN INDEMNITY "How Americans Aro Paying tho Gorman Indemnity" Is tho title of an article in a rccont number of tho Literary Digest, which describes what appears to bo an organized campaign to rob, cheat and defraud Amorlcan visitors, and which the Gorman Government, various German municipalities, muni-cipalities, Gorman sbop-koepors and hotel manngors all take part. It is hlntod that tho Germans may bo planning plan-ning to pay their Indomnlty entirely from tho forced contributions of tho Yankee. As n starter, every Amorlcan ontor-lng ontor-lng Germany is required to deposit LflOO marks with tho Government. "It Is politely called a deposit," said an ofllclal of the Amorlcan Express Company, who Is authority tor tho news of this recent Gorman custom. "But, It Is a doposlt for keops and on sonio pretext or other It remains In Gormany." After this Introduction into tho country, tho Amorlcan visitor visit-or is doubly or qundruply charged tor everything, up to the point of "all tho tralllc will bear." It Is said that tho Prussian Parlnl-mont, Parlnl-mont, when it reassembles, a proposal will come up to chargo foreign visitors visit-ors to Prussia a visitors' tax to be fixed In gold marks and collected at tho pre-war rate of exchange. Tho tentatively proposed chargo Is four gold marks per day. Visitors, therefore, there-fore, are to be charged ?1 per day for tho privllogo of spending tholr other dollars in Prussia. Numerous complaints com-plaints made by Americans who have boon fieecod by tho Gorman Government, Govern-ment, Gorman shop-koopors or Gorman hotol managers, havo boon contlrmod by many American diplomatic and consular representatives, who havo frequontly Informed tho State Department Depart-ment at Washington requesting Inter--vontlon. In tho bulletin boards of tho American Conculato General In Berlin, as well as In all Amorlcan olficlal buildings throughout Germany, thpro appoarod an ofllclal warning to Amorlcnns, telling them not to mako purchases In Germany on account of tho Gorman systom of, holding up Amorlcans nt Bremen nnd Hamburg, as well as at Inland frontiers, taking the goods from them and fining thorn heavily. This Is dono undor tho Gorman Gor-man law, demanding from SO to 200 percent per-cent taxes payable to the Govern-mont Govern-mont on all articles for export. Throughout Gormany tho consulate ofllces aro piled with protosts from Americans, claiming that tho shopkeepers shop-keepers Infbrm them It Is not noces-sary noces-sary to pay tho oxport tax, whereupon tho custom officials confiscated tholr opera glassos, clothes, baggago and valuables. Gorman-Amorlcans, many of whom aro now visiting the Fatherland for tho first tlnio before tho great war, tare no, better than natlvo Americans, it Ib reportod. Thoy aro all Included undor tho term "Valutastrong Amerlkaners" and are soakod three or rour times tho regular charges for ti hotel accommodations nnd mercban- c dlao purchases. , While Gormany Is tho worst offend or In this rospoct, It Is reported that these conditions prevail In other pnj of Europo with a result that wt numbors of Americans woo wonM otherwise go on tours abroad, um turning their attention to the mW .. attractions of tho United State f ' travel and recreation. In other iota ai thoro Is a decided return movemjai In summed up In the term "See Americ 10 First." j-I u'i 1 VMP IIW9liJR,,TwW,',,r . i |